Osipov also scored as Vancouver (27-19-9) squandered a 2-0 lead. C

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- It wasnt the result he wanted but John Herdman was pretty happy about how Canada finished the Cyprus Cup womens soccer tournament. Diana Matheson and Sophie Schmidt scored second-half goals as Canada rallied for a 2-1 win over Ireland to secure fifth place. It marked the first time in six years the Canadians hadnt reached the tournament final, but Herdman was encouraged by how his team dealt with that adversity. "The team showed a real resilience and that second-half performance was just phenomenal," he said. "This is a very unique group of women, when the chips are down they really can pull it out of the bag. "You think theyre out and then they come back and keep fighting but I thought the second half wasnt just about fight. They played just some wonderful football. The Irish were on the rocks for 45 minutes and we knew it was just a matter of time." Ireland opened the scoring early in the first half before Matheson tied it at the 56-minute mark. Schmidt highlighted a wild finish, scoring at the 90-minute mark. Canada, ranked seventh in the world, has traditionally fared well in this event. The national team won the tournament three times and was a finalist the last two years. But that streak ended with a 2-0 loss to England on Monday. And considering all the Canadians needed to advance was a draw, Herdman admitted the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. "Absolutely," he said. "In previous tournaments we dodged the bullet of having England or France in our qualifying group and when we ended up (with England) in our group, we knew that was the game that was going to make the difference. "Getting the girls up for this one was tough because we were pretty devastated. But we tried to focus on this being a World Cup and just losing the final game in our group but still having qualified with another game to play and what strategies wed have to put in place to get things pulled around and in focus. It was a pretty good two days for our team." Despite the fifth-place finish, Herdman said the Canadian team learned many valuable lessons at the tournament. "We struggled, and Ill tell you why we did against the English and Irish defensive tactics," Herdman said. "The English held a really deep defensive block and hit us on the counter-attack, they just preyed on our sloppy play and within seconds were firing shots or crosses and I think that was the real learning this year. "Against a zone or 4-4-2 we did well, we did well against Italys 3-5-2 but against that deep 4-5-1 block, which is also what the Irish did, we struggled. But what was exciting about that last game was we were able to get hold of a tactic and the players really made a big push." The 2014 and 15 seasons are big ones for Canadian womens soccer. In August, the world under-20 tournament will be held in four cities -- Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal and Toronto. Then in 2015, Canada will host the womens World Cup with games in Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg. And following Canadas stirring bronze medal victory at the 2012 London Summer Games, there will be plenty of expectations on the national teams shoulders in 2015. That fact certainly isnt lost on Herdman, who said the squad has a definite plan in place. "Its always been said Canadians are great in the power phase, theyre good at defending and theyre good at the counter-attack," he said. "But the ability to control and develop possession through the thirds of the pitch, thats the strand thats been missing. "Weve put a massive amount of focus in that and at times it has been to our detriment. We couldve went into the England game and said, Look, well drop a deep block, well launch it from the keeper every time we get it because the only focus is about winning the tournament, but we didnt. We played our way." Herdman said playing their way meant a definite eye to the future and not just another solid Cyprus Cup showing. "If we were going to win the tournament, we were going to win it a certain way that would also help us be more successful against teams in the womens World Cup playing a brand these girls wanted to be recognized for," Herdman said. "Even after we went up 2-1 against the Irish, the girls were still doing things trying to play a certain style of football where normally youd try to kill a game off. "At this stage of our development I think thats OK but when it comes down to the World Cup, well be in a stage where we know how to play those games like we did at the Olympics." So for Herdman, his measurement for success at the Cyprus Cup goes way beyond wins and losses. "I think we definitely got better, our statistics were way better than theyve ever been," he said. "There are things we wanted to work on post-Olympics to get the team ready for 2015 and those have improved. "Its just now chemistry and understanding when we play our way how that fits against the models of other teams. Weve got a year-and-a-half to figure all that out and get the plans ready." Wholesale Chargers Jerseys . Jones, from Winnipeg, built a 3-0 advantage after three ends by scoring two in the second and one in the third. Chinas skip Bingyu Wang cut that lead to 3-1 in the fourth before Canada added another three in the fifth for a 6-1 lead. Jerry Tillery Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.cheapchargersjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-doug-flutie-jersey . Lauzon rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries for the Vert et Or (2-3) while quarterback Jeremi Roch completed 19-of-32 passes for 251 yards and one interception. Alexandre Aube scored the other touchdown for Sherbrooke. LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey . The Toronto Argonauts running back hurt his left ankle during the teams practice Friday afternoon at Rogers Centre. Lance Alworth Jersey . The Toronto Maple Leafs were holding a news conference, so they got curious. It didnt take long for them to find out via social media that coach Randy Carlyle was coming back — with a two-year extension — and assistants Greg Cronin, Scott Gordon and Dave Farrish were being let go.PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Leon Draisaitl scored a hat trick as the Prince Albert Raiders stormed past the Swift Current Broncos 5-2 in Western Hockey League action Tuesday. Shane Danyluk and Collin Valcourt also scored for the Raiders (24-25-3), who stayed disciplined throughout the game without incurring any penalties. Brett Lernout and Coda Gordon scored for the Broncos (26-20-8). Cole Cheveldave finished with 34 saves for the Raiders, while his Broncos counterpart Eetu Laurikainen turned aside 32 shots. --- TIGERS 4 PATS 1 REGINA — Marek Langhamer made 41 saves and Medicine Hats offence did the rest against the Pats. Tommy Vannelli, Miles Koules, Curtis Valk and Trevor Cox each had a goal for the Tigers (30-19-3). Chandler Stephensons penalty shot for Regina (27-22-5) was the only time Langhamer was beaten. Reginas Daniel Wapple meanwhile stopped 25 shots. --- ICE 6 BLADES 3 CRANBROOK, B.C. — Jaedon Descheneau had a spectacular game with three goals and three assists as the Ice won their third straight. Descheneau, Zach Franko and Sam Reinhart dominated Kootenays (28-21-4) offence. Franko scored twice and had three assists, while Reinhart added a goal and four assists. Cameron Hebig, Cory Millette and Mitch Lipon replied for Saskatoon (14-37-4), which dropped its fourth straight game. Mackenzie Skapski turned aside 28 shots for the Ice, while Troy Trombley stoppped 33 in net for the Blades.dddddddddddd --- GIANTS 3 REBELS 2 (OT) VANCOUVER — Cain Franson scored 4:20 into overtime to help the Giants hold off Red Deer. Thomas Foster and Dmitry Osipov also scored as Vancouver (27-19-9) squandered a 2-0 lead. Conner Bleackley and Aspen Sterzer had goals for the Rebels (27-22-4). Giants goaltender Payton Lee kicked out 26 shots, one less than Red Deers Patrik Bartosak. --- THUNDERBIRDS 5 SILVERTIPS 3 SEATTLE — Justin Hickman scored twice and added an assist to lead the Thunderbirds past Everett. Mathew Barzal, Alexander Delnov and Robert Lipsbergs had a goal apiece for Seattle (33-16-5). Brayden Low, Joshua Winquist and Ivan Nikolishin countered for the Silvertips (26-20-8). Danny Mumaugh finished with 34 saves for Seattle, while at the other end of the ice Daniel Cotton allowed all five goals on 22 shots. --- ROYALS 7 HITMEN 2 VICTORIA — Austin Carrolls hat trick led the Royals to a bruising win over Calgary. Logan Nelson, Logan Fisher, Axel Blomqvist and Braden Oleksyn also scored for Victoria (35-16-3), while Coleman Vollrath stopped 24 shots. Brady Brassart and Connor Rankin scored in the first period for the Hitmen (32-15-6). Calgarys Chris Driedger allowed six goals on 39 shots before being pulled late in the game. Mack Shields took over with just 11:49 left and gave up a goal on seven shots. 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